1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to shopping carts and more specifically to an infant seat cover for shopping carts.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
There are numerous products on the market for holding babies and infants in cars and other vehicles. Shopping carts are designed to provide a seat for the infant. The cart generally has a basket seat with two leg holes formed into the front, facing the push handle. A seat belt is usually provided to protect the infant from falling out of the cart seat. The seat usually has two flaps forming part of the seat when occupied and which can be rotated upwardly to block the leg holes when an infant is not present and the shopper wishes to store articles in the seat portion.
Infant seats similar to the type used in automobiles are sometimes provided by the store or brought in by the infant's parent and inserted in the area formed by the infant seat of the cart. The store seat is placed in the area formed in the cart for the infant and fastened in place. If the seat is provided by the store, it has been used repeatedly by many infants and usually carries bacteria left by previous occupants. The seat carried by the child's parent is bulky and may not fit in the cart space. In addition, carrying the seat into the store is an additional burden.
Currently, a child is placed in the shopping cart seat, strapped in, and the parent begins to shop. An observer can readily notice that babies tend to place everything in their mouths, including the parts of the cart, namely the front and side rails. Furthermore, infants occasionally have an accident and mess their diapers, and very often, the shopping cart. In addition to spreading any bacteria that is present in the diaper, additional bacteria is spread from one child to the other by merely touching the cart and then placing their hands in their mouths.